This may interest

Like so many others, my state pension age is now 66, so still 17 months to go. Many of us will get nowhere near the “universal” state pension if we’ve been opted out while paying into company pensions. Those of us in most parts of England are paying out hand over fist for bus fares we wouldn’t have to pay at all if we lived in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. I’m confidently expecting there’ll be no perks at all by the time I finally officially retire, if we’re thrown a few crumbs from the rich man’s table it’ll come as a big surprise. If I’d been born 5 years earlier I’d be over £40,000 better off, but who cares? I doubt very much we’ll be protected from more disadvantage. Even I’m past caring really.

This is the House of Lord statement in full
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/LLN-2019-0069/LLN-2019-0069.pdf

Government Policy

The Conservative manifesto for the 2017 general election contained a commitment to maintain free bus passes for older people for the duration of this parliament.22 In 2018, the Government introduced secondary legislation which it said would ensure that disabled and older people would continue to benefit from free off-peak bus travel “for the foreseeable future”.23 This followed on from regulations enacted in 2011 that first set out in legislation the principles governing the way that TCAs reimburse bus operators.24


4
These regulations contained:

• a sunset clause, meaning that the regulations would cease to be in force after seven years; • a review clause, requiring a review of the regulations five years after they came into force in order to reassess whether they should be allowed to continue.

The Department for Transport carried out a post-implementation review in April 2016 by means of a small-scale survey of affected stakeholders.25 It found “strong support” for the 2011 regulations. The Government therefore made new regulations in March 2018 to allow the reimbursement arrangements for the ENCTS established by the 2011 regulations to continue in their current form. Nusrat Ghani, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, said that being “able to get out and about” was “hugely important” for older people as it would “allow them to keep their independence and play a role in their local community”.26 She said the 2018 regulations was “now set for the future” and would allow older people to “access their local services and amenities”.

Personally I would like to see all the bells and whistles, even free prescriptions, scrapped and replaced by a combination of a hike in the basic pension rate and an increase in the income level for Pension credit.

All these other extras only benefit some pensioners, not all. I get no benefit from free prescriptions. I haven't needed any medication for the past 8 years. Any health problems I have had have required minor surgery or a recommendation to take some paracetamol. I do not have a bus pass because I get travel sick on buses.

Increase the pension. Let us make our own decisions about how we spend our money, like the adults we are. Bus companies, will just do what the rail companies already do and offer senior citizen bus passes that you pay for but then get reduced travel rates.

The Government should seek to target existing age-related benefits better at individuals outside the workforce. Age thresholds should be raised. From 2026–28 when the State Pension age is due to rise to 67, free bus passes and Winter Fuel Payments should be available no sooner than five years after the State Pension age and age thresholds should be aligned across benefits. The difference should be maintained from then on as the State Pension age rises. There should be transitional protection so that individuals who currently receive these payments continue to receive them. This should ensure that the cohort of women who have been most severely affected by changes to the State Pension age would not suffer a double disadvantage from this subsequent change.

Alongside changing the age of applicability, the Government should investigate the feasibility of treating these benefits as taxable income for those above the tax threshold without requiring individuals who currently do not complete an income tax form having to fill out a form.35

One thing If there proposals are brought in, it will not effect todays current generation of bus pass and other related benefits, but those born after 1958 will not get those perks so to speak .
Mick

Signed.

This is the related e-petition for those that have not signed yet signatures so far over 9000 , just 900 plus short of the neede 10,000 sigs
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/259179

I can't see why pensioners who are still working, and earning, shouldn't pay national insurance.
(If they retired when they reached pension age everyone would move up the chain and there wouldn't be young people struggling to find decent employment.)

I've had that newsletter too, Mick! How very dare they? - while they claim £300 (I think) a day for attendance...

I wasn't putting you right Liz, I was just trying to answer the question you asked.

Thank you MOnica for taking the trouble to put me right!

I think we do need an Upper House but not as it is at the moment.
The number needs to be limited, they do not need to be Peers and they should be elected.

Disagree with number three. Prefer means testing on that one as it will save a new pensioner around £800 a year which is a lot to come out of a basic state pension.

Yes, it reviwes legislation and can send it back to the House of Commons for re-consideration. Sometimes the HoC rejects all suggested changes but quite often when the matter is reconsiderd changes are made.

They hold reviews like the one quoted at the top. Many of the members, especially life peers are there because they are experts in their field, whether, science, industry, the arts, armed services and even retired politicians. They bring to their debates an expertise and an independence frequently entirely lacking in the HoCs and their advice and recommendations are treated seriously.

Almost all legislations have dual chambers with those in the upper house revising and advising.It is part of the system of checks and balances that ensures that the HoC, if it was in the hands of one party with a huge majority, being able to drive forward legislation that may be undemocratic, unfair or unsafe, that even their electorate do not support.

Genuine question here - and I feel ignorant for asking 'What does the House of Lords do?' 'Does it do anything useful?

quizqueen - Well said !! Or hear, hear as the group of over privileged, unelected avaricious fogeys would say

A better idea they could have come with would have been to abolish the House of Lords.

I don't agree with not giving bus passes,and winter fuel allowances off people until 5 years after drawing state pension,,
I think if anything base it on need, also for TV licences

Can't see a problem with any of them.

I think this might be old news from a couple of months ago.